ABSTRACT
In past work Krein has argued that alternative sports provide conceptual spaces in which we can reflect on who we are and who we might be, and that they provide opportunities to experiment with different value systems and worldviews. In this chapter it is argued that, in part, the creation of a sport bum lifestyle in the postwar period was a response to dissatisfaction with gender expectations. Despite the fact that perhaps the most significant influence on the growth of the popularity of surfing, Gidget, featured a female surfer as its principal character, the culture of the sport became increasingly male oriented during the postwar years, as did the cultures of climbing and skiing. It is argued that the development of hypermasculine cultures in nature sports were in part a response to threats to mens’ claims to masculinity if they opted out of their roles in the corporate workplace or the family. Given that the attitudes that developed in this time period still influence the cultures of nature and alternative sports, it is argued that they should be reconsidered.
